DSRT CO.: Where Dessert Meets Art

DSRT CO. is not your average chocolate business. At its core, the brand blends dessert concepts with art, creating chocolate and sweet treats that are just as visually striking as they are fun to eat. Founded by Summer Badawi, DSRT CO. has grown from a deeply personal creative pursuit into a business with a global audience—driven largely by social media and an unwavering commitment to creativity.

“I’ve baked since I was a teenager,” Badawi says. “Making dessert for people always brought me a lot of joy, and I was always a creative person. Making creative food was the ideal combination for me.”

Badawi is the sole owner of DSRT CO., and while entrepreneurship wasn’t always part of a clear plan, creativity always was. Before launching the business, she explored many different avenues—some adjacent to baking, others entirely separate. She holds a Master of Arts in political science and worked in immigration and employment services after graduating. Despite her qualifications, she struggled to secure steady, fairly paid employment.

In 2017, with the help of a grant from the City of Hamilton, she left her job to pursue baking full-time. That leap of faith didn’t come easily or smoothly. Her earlier baking business was financially difficult, weighed down by debt and uncertainty, and at one point she was close to shutting it down entirely.

DSRT CO. emerged from that turning point.

“I incorporated in 2021 as a way to start fresh,” she explains. “Starting a new business was my hail-mary attempt—one last try to see if I could make something work.”

The name DSRT CO. reflects both intention and flexibility. Chocolate, while central to the brand, can be seasonal, and Badawi wanted room to grow.

“‘DSRT’ encapsulated that perfectly because it wasn’t limiting,” she says. “It left space to eventually incorporate other dessert items into the business.”

That openness has become a defining feature of the brand.

While DSRT CO. officially launched in 2021, the foundation for the business was laid years earlier. In 2014, Badawi started a food blog, where she learned how to photograph food, experiment with content, and understand social media long before it became central to her success.

Posting her chocolate bars online became the catalyst that transformed DSRT CO. from a home-based operation into a full brick-and-mortar business. Years of trial, error, and adaptation suddenly paid off.

“I did it for years before anything worked,” she says. “But once things started moving, I learned to adjust fast.”

Badawi didn’t always envision herself as a business owner, but she struggled deeply in traditional office environments. Side hustles and creative projects became outlets to stay motivated, even if she didn’t initially label herself an entrepreneur.

“What made me realize entrepreneurship was right for me?” she says candidly. “ADHD. My brain struggles to stay on task, so a job where I wear a lot of hats—but still have control—is perfect for me.”

Running DSRT CO. allows her to channel that energy into something meaningful rather than feeling anxious, unmotivated, or withdrawn.

Starting DSRT CO. was both exhilarating and terrifying. As the business gained visibility, Badawi found herself more exposed than ever before—receiving cruel messages from strangers online and feeling acutely aware of how far behind she felt compared to peers starting families and settling into conventional life paths.

“It felt like I was starting my life over again,” she says. “It was very lonely.”

At the same time, seeing people around the world enjoy DSRT CO.’s chocolate and engage with the brand brought a sense of fulfillment that outweighed the hardship.

“That feeling,” she says, “is a high like no other.”

Through the ups and downs, one lesson has stood out above the rest: learning to trust her gut.

“When there’s so much going on, it can be hard to step back and connect with what’s really driving you,” Badawi reflects. “But listening to that guiding force is so important.”

The journey has included milestones she never anticipated—international attention, a physical storefront, and a deeply engaged online community—alongside challenges she couldn’t have predicted.

Like many food-based businesses, DSRT CO. faces unique operational hurdles. But the most significant challenges have been global in scale: climate-change-related damage to cacao crops leading to extreme price increases and availability issues, compounded by tariffs that disrupt supplier relationships.

“Those things combined dealt us a very heavy blow this year,” Badawi says. “And we’re still navigating that—on top of broader economic concerns.”

DSRT CO. is the result of persistence, creativity, and the willingness to begin again—even when it feels risky or frightening. What started as a love for baking has evolved into a brand that reflects Badawi’s resilience, artistry, and refusal to give up on herself.

And while the path hasn’t been linear, it’s been unmistakably hers.